Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos’ “Jedi”: The Friendship with LeBron James, the Free Throw Curse, and the… Execution of His Former Team, Efes

In May 2024, Panathinaikos won the Euroleague, defeating Real Madrid in the final in Berlin.

The team secured its 7th European title and needed to strengthen to continue on the path of success. One of the players chosen by Ergin Ataman was Cedi Osman.

Captain of the Turkish national team with a long tenure in the NBA. He was a teammate of LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers and in his first year in the NBA (2017-18), he participated in the Finals, where his team, before their big star left for Los Angeles, was defeated 4-0 by Golden State.

Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos’ “Jedi”: The Friendship with LeBron James, the Free Throw Curse, and the… Execution of His Former Team, Efes

Just 30 years old, he signed with Panathinaikos at 29 and one of the first things he said was that he arrived in Greece with the dream of winning the Euroleague.

You see, in his career, as rich as it is, he only has one Greek Cup, one Turkish Cup, and one Turkish Super Cup.

Cedi Osman is the absolute protagonist of Panathinaikos’ playoff series against Efes and the one who led them to the Final Four in Abu Dhabi.

Unbelievable! Cedi Osman sings a chant for Abu Dhabi in Greek

The Terrific Series and Turkish Comments

Cedi Osman is a small forward, also plays power forward, helps on defense and offense, but above all, as he himself says, no one can catch him on the fast break.

Osman: “Disrespect and Shameful Behavior Towards Ataman”

In the 5-game series against the team he played for from 2011 to 2017, he did everything and heard everything. In Game 4 in Istanbul, Efes fans booed him, as they did Ataman, and he said: “They booed me and I don’t care, but what they did to coach Ataman, who has won two Euroleague titles with the team, I think was disrespectful to him. They can boo me, they can do whatever they want, but what they did to coach Ataman was very disrespectful. What else can I say?”

OSMAN on FIRE in Game 5 | CAREER-HIGH Night Sends Panathinaikos to FINAL FOUR

Cedi Osman became a superhero in the games against Efes. In the first game at OAKA, he had 11 points, in the second, 16 points. In the third in Istanbul, he had 9. In the fourth, he had 22 and fought alone for the win.

He set a career high in points until Game 5 at OAKA where he stopped at 28. He also had 8 rebounds. He was everywhere on the court and was rightfully named the MVP of Game 5 by the Euroleague.

Mainly with his performance in Game 4 in Turkey, he provoked negative comments from his compatriots. “He must remember that he is the captain of the national team,” said Turkish television presenter Pinar Ilık Uce. Former player Cüneyt Erden stated: “No one should forget where he grew up and where he was raised.” He turned a deaf ear to all of this and proceeded undisturbed to Game 5 to send PAO to the Final Four and even sang a chant in Greek.

Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos’ “Jedi”: The Friendship with LeBron James, the Free Throw Curse, and the… Execution of His Former Team, Efes.

All this for a man who is the captain of the Turkish National Team, whose performances sent them to Eurobasket 2025, and who was there when his country was hit by earthquakes in 2020.

At that time, he was playing for the Cavaliers and had announced that for every successful three-pointer by the Cavaliers and the Bulls (they played the day after the earthquake), he would donate $100 to the earthquake victims in his homeland.

“I Love Athens, the Food, the People”

Cedi Osman and his partner had vacationed in Greece before and always liked this country. In the summer of 2024, he moved to Athens and after a few months, he stated: “I love being here. I love the city, the food, the people. I love Athens. I have been here before, so I am happy to be here. Everything is perfect for now.

I have been to the Acropolis. It’s a place that excites me. Obviously, going to the city center, to many different places… It’s beautiful to be here. It’s a very beautiful city, which is also close to my home. So everything is good.”

Comparing life in Athens and Istanbul, he noted: “The people are similar, the food, everything. Our culture is quite close. That’s why I feel great.”

The woman of his life, his wife, Ebru Şahin, who is a famous actress in Turkey, is also happy about the move to Greece and as she announced months ago, she has started learning Greek.

Cedi Osman signed a one-year contract with Panathinaikos in the summer of 2024, but the club took care to renew him until 2027, so he will stay in Greece for at least two more years.

Osman: “The NBA is not over for me, but I am here for the back-to-back in the Euroleague!”

In an interview, he stated that he chose Panathinaikos for Ergin Ataman, the club’s history, and of course with the goal of the 8th European title.

“I want the back-to-back with Panathinaikos. We have a great team. The Euroleague is even more difficult. We are the best team and we are going for the back-to-back. I was watching the Euroleague and I miss it. I can’t wait to play on the court again,” he said the night he arrived in Athens for PAO.

Origin, Gold in Crete, Efes, and Coexisting with LeBron James

Cedi Osman was born on April 8, 1995, in Ohrid, North Macedonia. His mother is of Bosnian origin and his father is Turkish.

He started playing basketball in Bosnia, as did his older brother. He quickly chose to play for the Turkish National Team.

Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos’ “Jedi”: The Friendship with LeBron James, the Free Throw Curse, and the… Execution of His Former Team, Efes.

In 2014, he was the star of Turkey’s U-20 national team which won the gold medal at the European Championship held in Crete. In the final in Heraklion, Osman scored 20 points and led Turkey to a 65-57 victory over Spain.

Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos’ “Jedi”: The Friendship with LeBron James, the Free Throw Curse, and the… Execution of His Former Team, Efes

At the club level, he also chose Turkey. From 2011 to 2017, he played for Efes.

There he worked with Greek coach Vangelis Aggelou, who said about Osman when he transferred to Panathinaikos: “In his first steps at Efes, he tried and succeeded in the second team to play as a playmaker, but because he also had height, in the men’s team he played as a forward. Under certain conditions, for a very short time, he also played at the ‘4’ position.

His development was approximately at the ‘4’ and in the NBA he was a spot-up player, who could shoot in the half-court offense, attack with a close-out attack. Due to the talent he had when he started playing as a playmaker when he was young, he had very good peripheral vision and could pass well and find the player very easily far or near the basket.

The main characteristic he had and still has is that he is an amazing character, very adaptable to the ‘team’ aspect and very emotionally ‘attached’. It is a quite good transfer for Panathinaikos.”

Cedi Osman’s crossover to LeBron James’ great reaction 😂

In 2015, he was drafted into the NBA by the Minnesota Timberwolves and in 2017, he crossed the Atlantic to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers of LeBron James.

Cedi Osman 29 pts 7 threes vs Clippers 22/23 season

He stayed with the Cleveland team until 2023. He had impressive numbers, great performances, and won over teammates and coaches with his talent and work ethic.

He played with LeBron James for only one year, but “The King” said: “My relationship with Osman was getting stronger and stronger, even though we were in different cities.”

Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos’ “Jedi”: The Friendship with LeBron James, the Free Throw Curse, and the… Execution of His Former Team, Efes

In his seven years in the NBA, he earned $39,443,844. In the 2020-21 season, the Cavaliers gave him $8,840,580 and the next season $8,840,580.

In his last NBA season, he received $7 million from the Spurs and could have found a similar contract with another NBA team, but he chose Greece.

In the summer of 2024, it was reported in Spain that he was Real Madrid’s primary target, but Panathinaikos got to him first. When he signed with the greens, the Spanish newspaper “As” commented: “Osman will complete a Dream Team for Panathinaikos, who will try to win the EuroLeague title again. It is also a first-class response to Olympiacos’ last big move, the acquisition of Evan Fournier.”

Cedi Osman Career High 29 Points Full Highlights (1/25/2019)

The Turkish National Team and His Supportive Partner

He had great performances with the Turkish National Team and is still its captain.

In the 2019 World Cup, Turkey came close to a huge victory over the USA in the group stage. Turkey would lose 93-92 in overtime.

Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos’ “Jedi”: The Friendship with LeBron James, the Free Throw Curse, and the… Execution of His Former Team, Efes

In the regular period, the Turks were leading 81-79 with 12 seconds left, but Tatum sent the game to overtime with his free throws. Osman was great in overtime and with his own basket with 50 seconds left, Turkey was ahead 92-91. However, Osman would miss two crucial free throws with 9 seconds left, and Middleton would make his own, giving the USA the win.

USA v Turkey – Highlights – FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019

Osman finished the game with 15 points and 4 assists. He received harsh criticism for these missed free throws because, if he had made them, Turkey would have beaten the giant.

Something similar happened in Eurobasket 2022. Osman had the chance to be a hero in the game against France for qualification to the “8”, but he missed two crucial free throws at the end, Turkey made a mistake, and the French qualified in overtime.

His wife, Ebru Şahin, publicly responded to negative comments about him. “Those who played 10 minutes should be grateful for their lucky day and thank the team, especially those who can faint from fatigue,” she wrote, causing a stir within the team.

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After a while, she was forced to delete her story. Şahin and Osman met in 2020 in Alaçatı. In 2021, they got married in Ohrid, Skopje, and then in Çeşme.

One of the most impressive details of the wedding was the bride’s car. Osman has a black one-million-dollar Lamborghini and brought it from the USA by plane, just for the bride to go to the wedding!

The couple spent their honeymoon in Greece, Turkey, Italy, and the Seychelles. She follows him everywhere and of course, is with him in Greece and is having a wonderful time.

The same goes for him, and this is evident in his numbers in the games.